When Opportunity Knocks, Ashley Fabian Sings Out Her Answer

The featured soprano at Musica Angelica’s Christmas concerts is certified to cope

By Kiana Kalahele

Most financial advisors make a career out of giving investment advice, but for Ashley Fabian it’s a side hustle.

When she decided on a career as a soprano, she quickly found out that in order to make a living in music, she had to learn to manage her money.

At the moment, she’s busy preparing to be featured in performances at the “Christmas in Vienna” concerts that Musica Angelica will perform in Long Beach on Dec. 14 and in Los Angeles on Dec. 15. But when she takes

a break to rest her voice, she may be catching up on the latest developments in the economy.

“It was actually because of my mom,” she said in a Zoom interview. “She was the one who told me to start a blog and I was like, ‘I don’t want to do that, that’s silly.’ But I thought about it for a while, and it clicked that maybe I could help others in the industry because opera is so expensive to get into.

“There are so many of us singers who drop out because you can't afford it, and especially because they don't teach this kind of stuff in school. You know, we're not prepared for the lifestyle at all.”

Her blog, Fab on a Dime, began by offering tips and tricks to musicians from her personal experiences, but as she acquired a following, she expanded her horizons.

“I thought, ‘Okay, how can I make this into a universal thing that everyone could use?’ So, I decided to go out and get some credentials, and I got certified as a financial education instructor with the National Financial Editors Council.”

Since then, Fabian has created different personal finance courses for singers and freelance musicians that take them through each step of managing their money and coping with stress surrounding the emotional subject.

She also does live workshops online and in person to teach people the best way to set themselves up for success. Her most recent workshop was for a young artists’ program to teach them what the industry will be like when they enter it and how to prepare. 

“We have such a unique lifestyle and so many expenses that aren’t talked about, so even just talking about it has been really healing for people,” Fabian said.

One of her career strategies since she began training her voice for opera at age 14 has been to welcome opportunities whenever they appear.

She had heard about Musica Angelica, and after seeing the baroque ensemble perform live last year, she immediately knew she had “to be a part of this.” She made some connections that resulted in her becoming a guest artist to sing Christmas compositions by Mozart and the Haydn brothers, Joseph and Johann Michael.

The concert also features a modern composition by a California composer, Arnold Schoenberg, who was born in the Leopoldstadt neighborhood of Vienna and wrote the piece, “Christmas Music,” there in 1921. The performance celebrates the 150th anniversary of Schoenberg’s birth.

Fabian’s first language was music. Both her parents were trained classically, and her father was a Southern Baptist music minister for almost 35 years at several churches. At one of the churches in South Carolina, her father would conduct the church choir, lead the praise band and lead all the worship services. Meanwhile, her mother sometimes taught the children’s choir and Fabian played instruments in the praise band.

After receiving her Master of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Fabian first set her sights on opera, but from the beginning, she didn’t limit herself. So she might follow performing the title role in Los Angeles Opera’s “Lucia di Lammermoor” with playing Johanna in “Sweeney Todd.”

She thrives on artistic challenges, such as alternating work on a new opera while practicing for the Christmas concerts. “I go from these crazy tritones and complex rhythms straight into classical music.

“Last year, I did my first Gilda in ‘Rigoletto,’ and that was a good vocal challenge for me. And anything Mozart? I love singing Mozart.

“What I like about singing and performing is when I get to do all styles in one season. If I can get away with that, that's like the best feeling.”

When she’s not singing or analyzing personal finances, she finds other ways of performing. She’s acted in numerous commercials and films and been a contestant on the game shows Chain Reaction, Wheel of Fortune and Jubilee (on the YouTube game show channel).

It seems she’s applied to her career the advice of many financial wizards:

Diversify.

Kiana Kalahele, hailing from Oahu, Hawaii, is a senior studying business administration marketing and journalism at Chapman University in Orange. This feature is underwritten by Journalism Arts Initiative.

WATCH ASHLEY FABIAN IN LONG BEACH

"Christmas in Vienna," concert by Musica Angelica, Dec. 14 at 7:30 p.m. First Congregational Church of Long Beach, 241 Cedar Ave., Long Beach. Patrons are invited to a reception before the concert beginning at 6:30 p.m. The concert is repeated Dec. 15 at 3 p.m. First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, 540 S. Commonwealth Ave., Los Angeles. Following this concert, there will be a reception in the Shatto Chapel. Tickets, $43.14 to $85.16, are available at https://www.musicaangelica.org/. Call 562-276-0865 for information.

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About Journalism Arts Initiative

Before the decline of the newspaper industry, readers would often learn about nearby theater, music, film, dance and other arts events through feature articles in advance of a performance or opening. Many times, they would later be able to read critics’ reviews.

Because of limited resources, print and online media have scaled back their coverage, but the founders of Journalism Arts Initiative believe that the public is as interested in quality reportage of the local arts scene as it ever was. Journalism Arts Initiative’s goal is to fill some of the gaps by offering the work of both experienced and upcoming writers to reputable print and online media – free of charge. The only requirement is the inclusion of the credit at the end of the feature.

JAI was founded by veteran newspaper editors and writers interested in helping writers who want to cover the arts at a high level. The editors are volunteers, and the writers are paid nominal fees for their work.

The work of JAI is underwritten by donations from arts organizations and others interested in supporting excellence in arts journalism.

Writers interested in JAI should send their resumes and samples of their published articles to alrudis@alrudis.com.